Payback orders for eBay squaddie

A former Army quartermaster has been ordered to pay back £6,000 he made from selling military clobber on eBay.

Allan Peet, 41, from Bridgend, used to be a quartermaster for the Parachute Regiment. He had sold items on the auction site including military-issued boots, rucksacks and ration packs, which are not normally available to the public.

The very same items had gone missing from an MoD store in south Wales, near Peet's home.

The court this week ordered Peet repay £6,628 under the Proceeds of Crime Act or face three months in jail.

An investigation was begun after the kit was spotted for sale on eBay.

His defence told the court Peet had been an exemplary soldier for 23 years. He left the Army in 2004 to train cadets at RAF St Athan and was a paid instructor at a military preparation college. He was described as stupid and naive to try to sell the kit through the online tat bazaar, which meant it was easily traced back to him, the BBC reports.

Peet, who was found guilty of handling stolen goods in August, got community service, a 10-month suspended sentence and had to pay £1,000 in costs. ®